ROOM
Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Genre: Drama
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, William H. Macy
Distributed by: A24 Films
Release Date: October 16, 2015
My Rating: 9.5/10
Every now and then, a movie comes along that is so powerful you feel like you are riding a roller-coaster of emotions throughout the entire viewing: fear, heartbreak, joy, all in the span of under two hours. The 2015 film that reflects that description the most, for me, is the Oscar-nominated indie Room.
From Irish director Lenny Abrahamson comes the adaptation of fellow Irish-Canadian novelist Emma Donoghue's 2010 book of the same name. Miss Donoghue writes the screenplay for this beautiful and heart-wrenching film about the love between a young mother and her son, and their struggle to attain freedom.
The film follows 24-year-old Joy "Ma" Newsome (Brie Larson), a young woman who has been held in captivity in a tiny backyard shed for seven years, along with her five-year-old son, Jack (Jacob Tremblay). The man who has kept them there: a monster they refer to as 'Old Nick' (Sean Bridgers), who appears to be Joy's neighbor, and who only provides her and Jack with food and other basic necessities. Old Nick repeatedly rapes Joy in the shed that only has one opening in the ceiling that allows skylight, and that houses one small kitchen and a side room with a bed and bathroom, which leads Jack to affectionately refer to their entire home as 'room.' After several attempts to escape the shed with Jack, the two are finally set free after a clever plan from Joy, and are taken in by her parents (William H. Macy and Joan Allen).
Joy and Jack slowly learn to adjust and live a normal life in Joy's parents' home in the real world.
Before I say anything else about this movie, I should make two things clear for anyone who hasn't yet seen it. First, there are no explicit rape or abuse scenes: this is only implied. Second, only the first 45 minutes or so of the film take place inside the actual 'room,' for all you claustrophobic folks out there. As a matter of fact, one of the most intense scenes, for me, occurs after the two protagonists are released from their confinement.
The first thing that must be noted is Brie Larson's performance, which is beyond stellar. From every smile, look of frustration, scream, and sobbing plea, Miss Larson immerses herself completely into the role of a mother who is willing to risk everything to break free from her prison and provide a normal life for her and her son. Jacob Tremblay also proves to be a stellar young performer, capturing the innocence and unbridled curiosity of almost any child, even one who may have been raised in such abnormal and oppressive circumstances. This is the first film (that I've seen in theaters) in a very long time that has brought tears to my eyes, which I quickly wiped away because I remembered I was in a public place. When a film does this, and then nearly causes you to cry a second time (for joy), you know it was poignant as hell. That might even be an understatement.
Although I haven't read the original novel, the script is certainly beautifully written: no line of dialogue or scene appears out of place in the slightest. This can likely be attributed to the fact that the author of the novel also serves as the screenwriter. Miss Allen also delivers a strong performance as a woman dedicated to caring for and protecting her long-lost daughter and grandson.
Going to see a film like Room may not be a pleasant way to spend two hours, but truly great art is not always about comfort. It's about telling a story that appeals to any of our raw emotions and makes us ask questions about why people make certain decisions or refuse to make them, how people can be so evil and others purely kind and determined to succeed and attain the happiness they deserve. Is this a far-fetched and exaggerated story? Maybe. Maybe some people have been locked in a shed before, although not for seven years. Nevertheless, this thought never even crossed my mind until well after I left the theater and more importantly, the possibility of the answer to this question being yes does not in any way diminish my view of this story.
Room has now been nominated four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress for Brie Larson. With a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama and a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Best Actress already under her belt, the Academy Award for Best Actress will surely soon find itself in Miss Larson's hands as well. She certainly earns my vote for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment